How to Lower Your Blood Pressure with Heart-Healthy Foods

Summary

By Margie King • Originally published by GreenMedInfo Hypertension affects about 30% of adults worldwide. While most people try to cut back on salt to lower their pressure, a better strategy may be to add these healthy foods to the menu. Hypertension affects about 30% of adults worldwide. Among dietary factors salt has taken

A meta-analysis of 12 trials in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that sugar intake over a period of two months or more could on average spike systolic blood pressure by 6.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 5.6 mmHg.

Children are particularly at risk. In a study of over 15,000 Iranian children and adolescents, those who drank over 90 ml per day (one-third of a serving) had a 2.74 fold increase in risk of hypertension.

So when it comes to blood pressure, avoiding processed foods high in fructose is the first step to lowering risk.

The next step is adding the right foods to your diet. Here are 19 foods proven to lower blood pressure.

1. Chocolate

Many studies prove that cocoa products can lower blood pressure. In a German meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials the mean drop in blood pressure was 4.5 mmHg for systolic pressure and 2.5 mmHg for diastolic pressure over 2 to 18 weeks.

And it doesn’t take much dark chocolate to make a difference. In a randomized, controlled study published in JAMA 44 patients with hypertension or pre-hypertension were given one small square of dark or white chocolate with just 30 calories. After 18 weeks the dark chocolate reduced mean systolic pressure by 2.9 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 1.9 mmHg. There were no changes in the white chocolate group.

Researchers give credit to flavanols (primarily epicatechin) for the blood pressure lowering effects of chocolate.[i] In a study in the journal BMJ, 21 volunteers were given either a high flavanol (701 mg) or low-flavanol (22 mg) cocoa beverage. After a 10-minute exercise session, mean blood pressure increases were 14 percent lower for those drinking the high-flavanol chocolate.

And in a randomized, single-blinded and placebo-controlled trial from the University of Massachusetts, 41 overweight or obese participants were asked to replace their regular dietary fat with either olive oil or a control mixture of corn, soybean oil and butter. After three months the olive oil group dropped their diastolic pressure by an average of 3 mmHg and systolic pressure by an average of 6 mmHg.

3. Beets

Beets lower blood pressure significantly thanks to high levels of dietary nitrates. The British Heart Foundation funded a study of 68 patients with hypertension. Half the patients received 250 ml (about a cup) of beetroot juice or a placebo juice containing no nitrates. Blood pressure in the nitrate group dropped a mean amount of 8.1/3.8 mmHg. In addition, endothelial function improved by about 20 percent and arterial stiffness was reduced in the nitrate group but not in the placebo group.

4. Garlic

Adding garlic to your diet can help reduce blood pressure. In a meta-analysis of seven randomized, placebo-controlled trials researchers found a significant blood pressure effect of garlic. On average systolic pressure dropped 6.71 mmHg and diastolic pressure dropped 4.79 mmHg.

Garlic’s effects on blood pressure are dose dependent. An Australian study looked at 79 patients with uncontrolled systolic hypertension. Patients were divided into four groups and every day received either a placebo, or one, two, or four capsules of aged garlic extract (240, 480, or 960 mg per day). The dose of 2 capsules per day (480 mg) was most effective, lowering mean systolic blood pressure by 11.8 mmHg.

5. Watermelon

Studies show that watermelon lowers blood pressure. A pilot study from The Florida State University gave 9 pre-hypertensive people six grams a day of the amino acid L-citrulline from watermelon extract. All of the patients showed improved arterial function and lower aortic blood pressure.

6. Pomegranate Juice

In an Israeli study 101 kidney disease patients were randomized to receive 100 cc (a little over three ounces) of pomegranate juice or a placebo drink every day. After one year, systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the pomegranate juice group but not in the placebo group. Researchers concluded that drinking pomegranate juice regularly reduces systolic blood pressure and may reduce atherosclerosis.

In one prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 110 patients consumed a variety of foods that contained 30 grams of milled flaxseed or placebo each day. After six months systolic pressure went down about 10 mmHg and diastolic pressure dropped about 7 mmHg in the flaxseed group. The effect was even greater in patients with systolic pressure above 140 mmHg at the start of the study. Researchers concluded that flaxseed induced one of the most potent antihypertensive effects achieved by a dietary intervention.

11. Whole Grains

Diets rich in fiber may lower blood pressure. In one study published in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition, people eating three portions of whole-grain foods per day decreased their systolic pressure by 6 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 3 mmHg after just 12 weeks. Researchers estimated that the blood pressure improvement from whole grains could decrease the incidence of coronary artery disease by more than 15 percent and stroke by more than 25 percent.

12. Sesame Oil

In a study of 50 hypertensive patients in India, switching to sesame oil for 45 days brought blood pressure levels back to normal. And when patients stopped using sesame oil their blood pressure returned to their higher levels in 45 days.

A Harvard analysis of data from more than 180,000 people in the two Nurses’ Health Studies and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study compared people who ate four or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a week with those who ate four or more servings a day. People eating more whole fruits were eight percent less likely to develop hypertension. Those who ate more vegetables were five percent less likely to have high blood pressure.

Fruits and vegetables that have been proven to lower blood pressure include:

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